Couch.



:No. 839,118. PATE T D DEC. 25, 1906.

R. J.' CROUCH.

COUCH.

APPLICATION FILED HA3. 6, 1906.

50 of the rocker, and the other en alongthe bottom of the part A'andfixed, as

' To all whom it may concern.-

i l'Be itknown that'I, FRANK J. CROUCH, a .citizen of the United States,residing in'the city and county of San Francisco and State'of'California, have invented new and useful UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE. FRANK J. CROUCH, OF sAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, AssIGNO TO JOHN IHOEY, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

COUCH.

Improvements in Couches, of'which the fol lowingis a specification, Y

yinvention relates to improvements in 1 It consists-in the combinationof mechanism and in details of construction whereby parts of the couchmay be so transposed as to transform it into a bed, and vice versa.

5 Referring tothe accompanying drawings,

Figure '1 is an end view of couch withseat andbackfin normal positions.Fig. 2 shows the back horizontal and seat vertical 'preparatory toextending. Fig. 3 shows the I parts extended to form a bed. 9

y The drawings and specification herein illustrate a means by which themovements and transformations are effected; but these may be modifiedwithout materially altering the character of the invention.

Ais a'base upon which the seat portion part A is here-representedjin theform of a box, the central portion of which may serve for the receptionof bedclothing and other articles necessary for a bed. and notreq'uiredwhen the apparatusv is in the form of a couch. The parts B and C arehinged together, as shown at 2'. The devices are located at each endofithe box and preferably inclosed in narrow chambers to separate themechanism from the central containing portion of the box. Any suitablemeans for providing the necessary strength .of thehinge attachmentsmaybe employed. In the: present case I have shown hea plates fixed tothe portions B and O and havmg suflicient strength to resist suchstrains asmay be brought upon the parts.-

3 is arocker,-one of which is located at eachend of the couch. Theserockers are 'connectedby rods or bars 4 with the hinges I 2, and theradius of curvature of the rockers is about this hinge 2 as a center.Straps 5 have' one end of each fixed to (apposite ends 1s extended shownat 6. The rockers are sufliciently .wide to receivetwo' of these-straps,one being Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed Marchfi, 1906. Serial No- 304,307.

- Patented Dec. 25, 1906.

fastened at one end ofthe rocker and the other to the opposite end, andthe two fit the curved surface of the rocker side byside, the rockerbeing sufliciently thick for this purpose. The opposite ends being fixedat 6, it will be seen that by reason of the flexibility of the straps 5the rocker may rockupon its curved surface, and the straps will alter-'nately wind and unwind uponvthis surface ,and by;reason oftheir oppositeends being fixed the rockers cannot slide during the movements ofthe-parts of the couch.

7 is a distance-rod, of which there'is one at each end in conjunctionwith the other parts of the apparatus. One end of each of these rods ispivoted to thepart O, as shown at 8,

and the other end is shown at 9.

10 is an arm having one end pivoted to the part B as shown at 1 1, andthe other end aving a notch 12 formed in it which is adapted to engagewith a yoke or catch 13, which is fixed to the rear and lower portion ofthe part 0, so that when-the seat portion B of the couch liessubstantially horizontal upon the part A and the back 0 is turned upabout pivoted to the part A, as

its hinge 2, thislatch-bar' 10 extends from the 'lower inner angle ofthe part B to the lower outer angle of the art C diagonally and in aline exterior to the inge 2-. Thus the hinge and the two parts ofattachment of the latch-bar form a braceat each end which is "suflicientto retainthe back in its vertical position under the conditions ofuse asa T couch. When it is desired to disengage these latches to allow thepart 0 to be turned down, the'clisenga'gement is effected by firstmoving the partB in such a manner with relation to the part 0 that thenotch 12, the

side of which is 'atsuch an angle as to permit a movement, will slideover the latch or shoulder 13 until the latter rests upon a curvedprojection '14, which extends beyond the 1 notch 12. Then by suddenlymoving the part B in'the opposite direction the action of this curvewill cause'the bar to slide throu h or over the latch or shoulder 13,and in so oing the latch will jump entirely over thenotch 12, and thenthe lower edge of the barlO will rest upon the latch or shoulder andwill slide freely upon it, thus allowing the two partsB and C to lie ina horizontal position and in the same plane.

When the couch is in the position shown in Fig. 1, the part B lieshorizontally, the part C stands vertically, the notch 12 of the bar 10is engaged with the latch or shoulder 13, and the rockers 3 are turnedbackwardly un- 5 til the rear end of the curvature rests substantiallyupon the bottom of the box A. The bars 7 will stand substantiallyvertical between their attachments 8 and 9, and the rockers areprevented from the tendency to to rock forwardly by small elevations orshoulders 15, fixed in the bottom of the box A. These conditionsprevailing, and it being desired to convert the couch into a bed, thepart B is drawn forward and slightly lift- :5 ed at the same time, thepart counterbalancing it in such a manner that the movement is easy.

The first forward movement of the part B causes the rockers 3 to rockover the eleva- 2o tions 15 and by reason of the radial arms 4, fixed tothe rockers and pivoted upon the hinges 2,. the rocker-arms will rockupon their curved surfaces, the straps preventing any sliding movementof the rockers during 2 5 this movement. The distance-rods 7 at the sametime move about the pivotal points 9, and thus the tendency will be totilt and move the structure B and 0 about its bearers 3 as the latterrock forwardly and 0 to eventually bring the part 0 down into ahorizontal position. The whole of this portion of the structure willthen be advanced, so that the junction of the parts B and 0 liessubstantially central above the part A, as 3 5 shown in Fig. 2. It isthen desirable to disengage the latch-bar 10 from its -latching point orshoulder 18, and this is effectedby first moving the part B about thehinge 2-, so

as to' disengage the notches 12 of the latchbars 10 from the latches'orshoulders 13, as previously described. Then by a sudden forward movementof the part B the notch 12 will be caused to jump over the latch orshoulder 13 on account of the incline or 5 curvature of the outer end ofthe bars 10, and the bars 10 will then rest and be slidable upon thelatches or shoulders 13, so that the part B may be depressed into ahorizontal position, as shown in Fig. 3, and the couch will betransformed into a bed.

It will be noted that by reason of the sliding forward movement of theparts during the operation the junction of the two parts B and G willstand substantially central of the 55 support A, the distance-rods 7standing at such an angle as to brace the parts and prevent theirsliding in either direction. 'outer edges of the parts B and C will thenproject so little beyond the sides of the supports that no legs orsupplemental supportsof any kind will be necessary. A person may lieupon the extreme outer edge on either side without danger of tilting thebed, as the parts are sufficiently heavy and well 95 balanced to preventsuch a result.

The

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. In a bed-couch, a base, a seat and a back member hinged together, ananchored 7o rocking mechanism by which said members may be advanced uponthe base and tilted about their junction-point, a locking means by whichsaid members are normally retained at right angles with each other, saidmeans being disengageable to allow the members to be extended into ahorizontal position upon the base.

2. In a bed-couch, a base, seat and back members hinged together, a linkconnecting the back member with the rear of the base by which the seatand back members are normally retained at right angles with each other,means disengaging said mechanism to allow the back and seat to beextended hori- 8 zontally and supported upon the base, and an anchoredrocker having a radial arm connecting itwith the hinge-joint of the seatand back members.

3. In a bed-couch, a base, seat and back members hinged together andmovable forward and back upon the base, curved segments adapted to restupon the base having radial arms connecting with the hinges of the seatand back members whereby said mem- 5 bers may be advanced and tiltedwith relation to the base, and distance rods or links whereby theforward movement is controlled.

4. In a bed-couch, a base, seat and back members hinged together,latches by which they are normally maintained at right angles, segmentshaving their curved peripheries adapted to rock upon the bottom of thebase, radial arms connecting said segments with the hinges of the seatand back and distancerods having one end pivoted in the base, and theother ends pivoted to the rear lower an gle of-the back.

5. In a bed-couch, a-base, seat and back members hinged at theirjunction, latches by which said members are normally held at rightangles with each other, segments having radial arms connectin them withthe hinges and the curved perip eries adapted to rock upon the base,flexible straps extended from opposite ends of the curved se ments, andhaving their outer ends fixed to t 1e floor of the base.

6. In a bed-couch, a base, a seat and back hinged together at theirjunction, a latch by 120 which said seat and back are normally retainedat right angles with each other, segments adapted to rock Within thebase and having radial arms connecting them with the hinges of the seatand back, flexible straps sccured at the ends of the curved segments andhaving their opposite ends extended and fixed to the floor of the basewhereby the seat and back may be advanced and tilted, and the movementcontrolled with relation I30 to the base and distance-rods, having theirends pivoted respectively to the base and to the rear lower angle of theback.

7. In a bed-couch, a base, a seat and back hinged together at theirjunction, capable of extending into a common plane, an anchored rockingmechanism by which said seat and back may be advanced and tilted uponthe hinged junction lying substantially central upon the base, the edgesof said base forming the sole support for the projecting sides of thebed structure.

9. In a bed-couch, a base, a sectional hinged bed-bottom, slidable andturnable upon the base having its outer overhanging edges supported uponthe edges of the base, hinges connecting the junction of saidbedseotions, latches by which said sections may be locked at rightangles with each other, and an anchored rocking mechanism whereby saidlocked sections may be moved backwardly to bring the front edge of theforward. section and the back of the rear section substantially into theplane of the front and rear edges of the base.

10. In a bed-couch, abase, hinged sections extensible to form a bed, andfoldable to form a seat and back and locking means therefor, curvedsegments with flexible straps connecting their ends with the base,radial arms pivotally connecting the segments with the hinge-joints ofthe seat and back whereby a cooperative forward, tilting and rockingmovement of the seat and back sections and segments is eflected toadvance and retract said sections upon the base and elevations overwhich the segments rock, and by which they are substantially held whenthe seat and back have been moved to their rearmost position on thebase.

11. In a bed-couch, a base, seat and back members hinged together attheir junction, segments adapted to rock upon the base and having radialarms pivoted to said hingejoints whereby the seat and back may be ad- I,

vanced and tilted in conjunction with the rocking movement of thesegments, distancerods by which the advance movement, is limited,latches connecting the lower and rear portions of the seat and backmembers, forming with the hinges a lock to maintain said members atright angles with each other, said latches having notches and inclinedcontiguous surfaces whereby the latches may be disengaged from theinterlocking shoulders, and the latch-bars allowed to slide thereover toextend the back and seat into a common horizontal plane.

' 12. In a bed-couch, a base, seat and back sections hinged at theirjunction, an automatically-disengageable latch retaining .said sectionsat substantially right angles, means comprising rocking segments andpivoted distance-rods whereby the seat and back are advanced and tilted.with the hinged junction substantially central upon the base, said seatand back extended in a plane and supported upon the edges'of the base.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

FRANK J CROUCH.

Witnesses:

CHARLES EDELMAN, ALBERT I. GRAVES.

